New Minneapolis skyway app helps fans navigate the Bold North

A new app launched this week that will help people in downtown Minneapolis navigate the skyway system.

The app, built by Honeywell and collaborated on with the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee’s Wayfinding Committee, helps you navigate indoors while finding your way through the downtown skyways. In addition to the indoor navigation feature, the app also now includes a location-based feature to help you find food, restrooms, entrance points into the skyways, parking, hotels, retail and more. It also helps you navigate from key locations during the days leading up to the Big Game, including Nicollet, the Minneapolis Convention Center and U.S. Bank Stadium.

“For anyone who’s not a local, and for even some who are, finding your way around the Skyway system can be a big challenge,” said Steve Cramer, president and CEO of the mpls downtown council and Downtown Improvement District. “With our initial use of the Honeywell Vector Occupant App, we’ve seen an immediate impact. The interactive map makes it really easy and intuitive to know exactly where you’re going, and how to get there.”

Honeywell, a global leader in Connected Buildings, added new capabilities to the Honeywell Vector Occupant App that give occupants more control over their experiences within a building with the swipe of a screen. The most significant new feature is indoor navigation, which uses GPS-like technology to help users find their way around complex buildings that are difficult to navigate without directions.

The benefits of the indoor navigation feature have been demonstrated in the Minneapolis Skyway System, a complex interlinked network of enclosed pedestrian walkways spanning 80 city blocks. The walkways protect Minnesotans from the harsh winter elements or summer humidity, allowing them to comfortably walk between more than 30 buildings in downtown Minneapolis.

“Much of a building’s success hinges on how happy and satisfied its occupants are. They’re the lifeblood of an organization, and their experience within a building is what keeps them coming back,” said John Rajchert, president of Building Solutions, Honeywell Home and Building Technologies. “The Honeywell Vector Occupant App has given users more power to shape their building experiences from their smartphones. Now, we’re adding even more features to deepen the connections between occupants and the spaces around them so they can be as comfortable as possible, and can more easily and efficiently move about a building.”